La Serena Villas, Palm Springs

I’d been going to Palm Springs for years and mainly kept returning to the Palm Parker. But after a while it began to feel like an overpriced Instagrammers Hipster Hideaway where I felt less at ease and rested.

A friend had recently visited Palm Springs and met a husband and wife duo behind the new La Serena Villas, a 1933 historic hotel downtown that they were transforming into a luxury boutique hotel. She highly recommended it (and as the PR person for the Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire, I totally trust her judgment).

I booked a couple of nights, and it did not disappoint.

I had the “Residence“, a stand alone cottage with a separate bedroom, full kitchen, huge living room, the most amazing claw foot tub inside, and a private outside area with a fireplace and tub (although each of the 18 rooms also comes with a private patio, outdoor tub and fireplace).

I loved that this was a 21+ resort and each room/villas seemed secluded. The breakfast and pool snacks were delicious, the overall vibe and decor amazing. The staff was welcoming and not pretentious, and just three days here felt like a week.

Most of my time was spent lounging at the pool, where I snagged one of the large day beds which I recommend trying to get. And the evenings were spent in my private, outdoor bath and patio. And even in the heat of summer, having the firepit on just made sense.

I went on this trip without my dog, but it is a dog-friendly place (for a fee).

For this trip, this was the absolutely perfect place. It doesn’t have all the resort amenities or size of the Parker, but if you don’t need that, I’d recommend this over that (and over the Ace).


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